A Day at the Bowes Museum

On a foggy autumnal morning, the project team crammed into Oliver’s small car and set off to the Bowes Museum. After a fabulous lunch at the restaurant, we spent a couple of hours walking through the various galleries and exhibitions. The wide and vast collections on display meant that each member of the team was able to find helpful and relevant objects related to their case studies. Felicia enjoyed exploring the vast textile collection while Remi managed to find ottoman figures in the vast altarpiece. Oliver managed to find the glass collections and Floris was at home in the ceramic collections. Of course, no trip to the Bowes Museum was complete without seeing the Silver Swan. Although it was out of service, the team could still appreciate its vast complexity through helpful and high-quality video and interactive interpretation.

After a peruse through the galleries, the project sat down with Curators Jane Whittaker, Howard Coutts and Director Hannah Fox. Here they learnt of the exciting new plans and ideas that Hannah has for the Bowes Museum, as the museum looks to develop new strategies to engage with wider audiences. Jane and Howard provided the project with interesting and fascinating insights into the collections. Both parties were keen to develop a long-lasting collaborative partnership and the team discussed how everyone can achieve this.

Overall, the project team had a fantastic experience. The car drive home was full of exciting discussions about the Bowes Museum and how the project plans to collaborate. Special thanks go to Jane, Howard, Hannah, and all the staff at the Bowes Museum for making our visit memorable. We look forward to seeing you all again soon